The U.S. Department of Justice is working to strip citizenship from 40 naturalized Americans over criminal allegations that include espionage, voluntary manslaughter and sexual abuse of minors. They include a California-based lawyer from Canada who was sentenced to 85 months in prison in connection with stock fraud schemes. In a press release Monday, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche described the move as “the largest denaturalization effort in modern history.” “From an individual convicted of espionage to others convicted of sexual offenses against minors, these defendants concealed critical facts from the U.S. government and represent serious criminal offenders,” Blanche said. “Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice will continue to employ the denaturalization process to maintain our national security and protect the American people.” Naturalized citizens are people born outside of the country in which they later become citizens. Under U.S. law, naturalized citizens can have their status revoked through a federal court order in certain circumstances, such as lying about past criminal activity or misrepresenting themselves in their applications. Although rarely used in the past, denaturalization efforts have ramped up under the Trump administration as part of its crackdown on illegal immigration. Reportedly born and raised in Vancouver, Andrew Coldicutt, 46, is facing denaturalization for allegedly concealing criminal activity during his citizenship application process. In 2025, the former San Diego-based securities attorney was found guilty of federal charges stemming from two “pump-and-dump schemes,” which is when stock prices are artificially inflated with false hype in order to sell off shares for a profit. In July 2025, Coldicutt was sentenced to 85 months in prison and ordered to pay US$42,970 in forfeiture and a US$100,000 fine. Prison records show that Coldicutt is currently serving his sentence at a federal correctional institution in Herlong, Calif. “Coldicutt received his naturalization based on his misrepresentations in his naturalization application and interviews that he had never committed a crime for which he had not been arrested and that he had never provided false or misleading information to a U.S. government official,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in its Monday press release. “In fact, prior to his naturalization application, Coldicutt had engaged in stock fraud schemes, including a pump-and-dump scheme and a gypsy swap, that involved filing false securities registration forms and wire fraud and that resulted in an FBI investigation against him.” Others facing denaturalization under the current push include individuals from countries like Mexico, Pakistan and the United Kingdom. The criminal allegations include transporting child pornography, sexual abuse of a minor and identity fraud. Two individuals from China are also facing denaturalization over allegations of espionage and acting as an agent of a foreign government. “Every single one of these individuals lied their way into U.S. citizenship,” Brett A. Shumate, assistant attorney of the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Division, said in the press release. “This administration will continue to pursue the largest denaturalization effort in department history to restore trust and integrity in U.S. citizenship.”
